2022 annexation referendums in Russian-occupied Ukraine

In late September 2022, in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian-installed officials in Ukraine staged so-called referendums on the annexation of occupied territories of Ukraine by Russia.[1][2][3][4] They were widely described as sham referendums by commentators and denounced by various countries. The validity of the results of the referendums has been accepted by North Korea, and no other sovereign state.

The votes were conducted in four areas of Ukraine – the Russian puppet states of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic in the Russian-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine, and the Russian-appointed military administrations of Kherson Oblast and Zaporizhzhia Oblast, captured and occupied in the first week of the 2022 invasion[5][6] – as well as in Russia.[1] At the time of the referendums, Russia did not fully control any of the four regions, where military hostilities were ongoing at the time. Much of the population had fled since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[7] The referendums were illegal under international law and have been condemned by the United Nations as violations of the United Nations Charter.[8][9]

On 30 September 2022, Russia's president Vladimir Putin announced the annexation of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts of Ukraine in an address to both houses of the Russian parliament. The United Nations, Ukraine, and many other countries condemned the annexation.[10]

  1. ^ a b Trevelyan, Mark (27 September 2022). "Moscow's proxies in occupied Ukraine regions report big votes to join Russia". Reuters. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Russia moves to formally annex swathes of Ukraine". Reuters. 20 September 2022. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  3. ^ "Война в Украине: ЛНР и ДНР объявили о "референдумах" о присоединении к России 23–27 сентября – Новости на русском языке". BBC News Русская служба (in Russian). Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  4. ^ "На оккупированных территориях Украины 23–27 сентября проведут "референдумы о присоединении к России". Главное Тем временем в России вводят понятие "мобилизация" в Уголовный кодекс". Meduza (in Russian). Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :9 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Berdyansk: Life Under Russian Occupation". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. 8 April 2022. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  7. ^ Walker, Shaun (23 September 2022). "'Referendums' on joining Russia under way in occupied Ukraine". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference :guterres was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "So-called referenda in Russian-controlled Ukraine 'cannot be regarded as legal': UN political affairs chief". UN News. 27 September 2022. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  10. ^ Trevelyan, Mark (30 September 2022). "Putin declares annexation of Ukrainian lands in Kremlin ceremony". Reuters. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.

© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search